Bret Schundler

Bret Schundler (14 January 1959-) was Mayor of Jersey City from 11 November 1992 to 30 June 2001, succeeding Joseph Rakowski and preceding Glenn Cunningham.

Biography
Bret Schundler was born in Colonia, New Jersey in 1959, and he grew up in Woodbridge Township. He worked as a Democratic staffer and in finance before becoming a Republican in 1991. In 1992, he was the first Republican to be elected Mayor of New Jersey since 1917, and he was known to be incorruptible, winning re-election in 1993 with 69% of the vote. In 2001, he was the Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey, but he lost both his mayorship and his run for governor. From January to August 2010, he briefly served as Commissioner of Education under Governor Chris Christie, and he was fired after his mishandling of a $400 million Race to the Top grant led to the state's inability to receive government funding.